Man to face trial over Syd brawl drowning

An off-duty security guard charged with the drowning death of a man whom he allegedly pushed into Sydney's Darling Harbour has been committed to stand trial.

Ehab Taleb, 23, will stand trial for the manslaughter of Jason Daep, 19, following a nightclub brawl at Pontoon Bar at Cockle Bay in the late hours of February 12, 2012.

At Taleb's committal hearing on Friday, at the Downing Centre Local Court, Magistrate Jennifer Giles said there was enough evidence for a jury to possibly convict Taleb, based on the evidence of two "fairly compelling" witnesses.

"It will be a difficult trial and will need masterful directions but once the difficulties are all tested, there is reasonable prospect a jury may convict the accused," she said.

Mr Daep had been partying with friends at the bar when he became involved in a large brawl on the adjacent boardwalk.

It is alleged Taleb assaulted Mr Daep before pushing him off the wharf.

The body of Mr Daep was recovered from the water hours later.

Ms Giles acknowledged that eyewitness accounts by people who identified a man they said had pushed Mr Daep into the water may have been "contaminated", because they identified the man as wearing different coloured shirts.

She also said those witnesses' subsequent identification of Taleb in a photo array may have been "tainted" because they saw him being arrested on the night.

But she said the evidence was admissible and a jury could possibly accept evidence provided by a manager of the Pontoon nightclub on the night, and another witness who saw Mr Daep being pushed into the water.

"There is a reasonable prospect the jury will accept their evidence," she said.

"If the jury accepts (those two witnesses') evidence and the identification of Taleb ... there is a possibility of conviction."

Members of Daep's family wept in the courtroom when the decision was handed down and thanked the magistrate outside the court.

"We're very happy with the magistrate's decision," a member of the family said.

Taleb's solicitor Philip Stewart said his client was disappointed with the decision and would apply to the Department of Public Prosecutions to have the case thrown out.

Taleb is expected to appear in the NSW District Court for arraignment on March 15.

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